Background: Blacks experience greater multi-system physiological dysregulation, or cumulative biological risk, which is associated with poor cardiometabolic health and mortality. In this study, we assess race differences in change in risk over four years among older whites, blacks and Hispanics. Method: We examined race differences in 4-year change in individual biomarkers and a cumulative measure of risk-cardiometabolic risk (CMR)-using data for each respondent from two waves of the Health and Retirement Study's biomarker assessment (n=5,512)...

Background: We sought to identify distinct trajectory classes of physical performance in Mexican Americans aged 75 years and older, and to examine whether these trajectories predict mortality. Methods: We used 4 waves of Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE) data for adults 75 years and older from 2004-5 to 2013. Latent growth curve analysis was used to identify distinct trajectory classes. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between baseline characteristics and the newly constructed trajectories...

Background: Osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are common diseases of aging that would seem to be unrelated, but may be linked through the influence of bone-derived signals on brain function. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between circulating levels of bone-related biomarkers and cognition. Methods: The population included 103 community-dwelling older individuals with memory concerns but without cognitive impairment. A global cognition summary measure was collected at baseline and 6, 12, and 18-months post-enrollment by converting raw scores from 19 cognitive function tests to z-scores and averaging...

Background: Recent studies suggest that impaired cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), a marker of cerebral microvascular damage, is associated with a higher risk of stroke, cognitive decline and mortality. We tested whether abnormal cerebrovascular status is associated with late-life frailty among men with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. Methods: A subset of 327 men (mean age at baseline 56.7±6.5 years) who previously participated in the Bezafibrate Infarction Prevention (BIP) trial (1990-1997) and then in the BIP Neurocognitive study underwent a neurovascular evaluation 14...

Self-rated health (SRH) strongly predicts mortality. Twin studies estimate that genetic factors account for a substantial part of the variability in SRH. Variations in the gene FOXO3 (forkhead box O3), and in genes located at the APOE (apoplipoprotein E) locus, are associated with longevity. This study explores the relationship between SRH and genetic variation related to longevity, in a population-based cohort of older individuals. SRH was assessed among 1520 individuals aged 75 to 87, and five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in APOE, TOMM40 (translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 40 homolog), and FOXO3 were genotyped...

HIV-1 causes premature aging in chronically-infected patients. Despite effective anti-retroviral therapy, around 50% of patients suffer HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), which likely potentiate aging-associated neurocognitive decline. Microglia support productive HIV-1 infection in the brain. Elevated markers of cellular senescence, including p53 and p21, have been detected in brain tissues from patients with HAND, but the potential for microglia senescence during HIV-1 infection has not been investigated...

Background: In older people, both apathy and depression (which frequently co-occurs with apathy) have been associated with poor physical functioning, a major health concern. We investigated the association between apathy and physical functioning in older people without dementia and whether this association is modified by depression. Methods: We used the data from 380 older participants (with and without depression) taking part in the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons, with baseline scores on the Apathy Scale and baseline and 2-year follow-up scores on at least one measure of physical functioning...

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine and 5-formylcytosine are stable DNA base modifications generated from 5-methylcytosine by the ten-eleven translocation protein family that function as epigenetic markers. 5-Hydroxymethyluracil may also be generated from thymine by ten-eleven translocation enzymes. Here, we asked if these epigenetic changes accumulate in senescent cells, since they are thought to be inversely correlated with proliferation. Testing this in ERCC1-XPF-deficient cells and mice also enabled discovery if these DNA base changes are repaired by nucleotide excision repair...

Dietary restriction (DR) is an important experimental paradigm for lifespan and healthspan extension, but its specific contribution regarding the type, onset and duration are still debatable. This study was designed to examine the impact of different dietary protocols by assessing the behavioral changes during aging. We exposed male Wistar rats of various age to ad libitum (AL) or DR (60% of AL daily intake) feeding regimens with different onsets. The impact of DR on locomotor activity, memory and learning was examined in 12-, 18- and 24-month-old treated animals and controls using open field (OF) and Y maze tests...

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the associations of sleep duration and sleep disturbances with healthy and chronic disease-free life expectancy (LE) between ages 50 and 75. Methods: Data were drawn from repeated waves of three occupational cohort studies in England, Finland and Sweden (n=55,494) and the follow-up ranged from 6 to 18 years. Self-reported sleep duration was categorized into <7h, 7-8.5h and ≥9h and sleep disturbances into no, moderate, and severe...

Aging is often associated with elevated levels of low grade inflammation supposed to drive age-associated diseases. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study on 58 healthy volunteers, aged from 19 to 81, to investigate the relationship between age and the expression of three inflammasome component genes (Nlrp3, Asc, Casp1), the up-stream transcription factor NFkB, and the pro-inflammatory cytokine Il-1 in leukocytes. We also assessed C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-1 in plasma, as additional inflammatory markers...

Senescent cells have deleterious effects on the tissue microenvironment through proinflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotypes; meanwhile, the onset of glomerulonephritis is predominant in younger adults. To clarify the influence of aging on the onset and development of glomerulonephritis, we used a murine model of antibody-mediated nephritis. Sheep nephrotoxic serum was administered in C57BL/6J mice at 12 weeks (adult) or 18 months old (aged) after pre-immunization with sheep IgG. Depositions of sheep IgG and autologous mouse IgG along the glomerular basement membrane and the serum titer of anti-sheep IgG-specific mouse IgG were similar between adult and aged mice...

Background: There is limited evidence on the directionality of the associations of sitting time with physical function. This study examined the longitudinal associations of sitting time with changes in physical function, and physical function with changes in sitting time. Methos: Data from 10,027 retirees in the Social, Economic, and Environmental Factor (SEEF) population-based cohort were collected in 2006-08 and in 2010-11. Daily sitting time was assessed by a single item question...

Healthy ageing can be defined as "the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age". Functional ability (i.e., the health-related attributes that enable people to be and to do what they have reason to value) is determined by intrinsic capacity (i.e., the composite of all the physical and mental capacities of an individual), the environment (i.e., all the factors in the extrinsic world that form the context of an individual's life), and the interactions between the two...

Background: To estimate the prevalence of disability during the last three years prior to death among the oldest-old (≥80 years) in China. Methods: We used data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a nationally representative study of the oldest-old in China. The analytic sample included 23,934 decedents who died between 1998 and 2014 and had at least one interview within the last three years of life. Disability was defined as being incontinent or needing assistance in performing one or more of five other essential activities (bathing, transferring, dressing, eating, and toileting)...

Environmentally persistent organic pollutant (POPs) is the general term for refractory organic compounds that show long-range atmospheric transport, environmental persistence, and bioaccumulation. It has been reported that the accumulation of POPs could lead to cellular DNA damage and adverse effects of on metabolic health. To better understand the mechanism of the health risks associated with POPs, we conducted an evidence based cohort investigation (n=5955) at the Jinghai e-waste disposal center in China from 2009-2016, where people endure serious POPs exposure...

Background: Older individuals (aged ≥65 years) are commonly prescribed statins but may experience a range of barriers in adhering to therapy. The factors associated with poor statin adherence and/or discontinuation among this population have not been comprehensively reviewed. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to identify English articles published through December 12, 2016 that reported factors associated with nonadherence and/or discontinuation of statins among older persons...